Annual Category Management Conference to be Held in Las Vegas

The 2016 Category Management Conference will be held at The Mirage in Las Vegas, Nev. September 12-14, 2016. Retailers, manufacturers, industry thought leaders and category management solution providers convene annually at the Category Management Conference to collaborate, network, learn and grow. Organized and presented by the Category Management Association, the conference hosts a blend of keynote speakers, case studies presented by retailers and manufacturers, panel discussions, networking, solution provider demonstrations and fun. This year’s conference unveils a new speed-networking event, Best Practices Awards and CatMan 2.0. 

The retail landscape has changed dramatically since the discipline of CatMan 1.0 was originally developed in the early 1990s. CatMan 2.0 is category management for the 21st century. It represents the modification of the category-management discipline to address major changes in the industry including a more diverse shopper base, new retail formats, new data sources, new analytical tools and recent success models. The conference will feature a CatMan 2.0 panel session, which is built around many of the key changes. 2016 marks the eighth year of the annual conference.

“The conference has been the best opportunity for category management practitioners to learn of successful approaches across all categories and to take those case studies and apply them to their own categories and retail stores,” says Wendy Fritz, CEO of the Category Management Association.

The conference theme is “Bridging Traditional and Digital: Connecting with Shoppers in the New Retail Landscape.” Speakers will include: Daymond John, FUBU Clothing Founder, Urban Entrepreneur, CEO, Author, Marketing & Branding Expert, Shark Tank Reality TV Judge, Motivational Speaker; Bill Bishop, Chief Architect, Brick Meets Click; Tom Burkemper, Sr. Director, Merchandising, 7-Eleven; Mike Gervasio, VP of Category Management, Pepsi Beverage Company; Kevin Hartman, Head of Analytics, Google; Major Dan Rooney, CEO/Founder of Folds of Honor, USAF; Mike Sansolo, MC and Panel Facilitator, Retail Food Industry Consultant; Art Sebastian, Head of Digital(continued) Shopping & E-Commerce, Meijer; Bala Subramanian, SVP Global E-Commerce,Best Buy; Kelly Ungerman, E-Commerce, Multi-Channel, McKinsey; Rana Nall,Category Management & Modular Development, Walmart Stores, Inc.; Michael McGuire, Category Management & Modular Development, Walmart Stores, Inc.

The 2017 Category Management Conference will be held May 15-17, 2017 at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, Nev. Attendees can register at: http://catman.global/events/annualconference/registration.